Exercise device with varied gait movements

ABSTRACT

An exercise device for performing a variety of movement patterns is provided, having an upper link pivotally mounted to a lower leg link and a foot support on a distal end of the lower leg link. A first transfer system is movably coupled to a frame and including a first transfer member coupled to the first upper leg link and a second transfer member coupled to the second upper leg link, thereby enabling substantially reciprocating motion of the first leg link relative to the second leg link. A second transfer system is also provided and may be movably coupled to the frame and including a pair of third transfer members coupled to each of a pair of fourth transfer members by way of each of a pair of transfer couplings, each movably mounted to the frame. The fourth transfer members may be coupled to the first lower leg link and the second lower leg link, whereby movement of the first lower leg link causes movement of the second lower leg link irrespective of movement of the upper leg links thereby providing a stable platform for the user and also enabling an infinite number of gait patters by the user.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Patent Application is a Continuation-in-Part of Ser No. 12/591,672,filed 27 Nov. 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,833,134, which is a DivisionalApplication of Ser. No. 11/501,780, filed 10 Aug. 2006, now U.S. Pat.No. 7,645,215. This Patent Application is based on ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 61/331,520 filed on 5 May 2010.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to exercise equipment and moreparticularly, to exercise equipment which simulate or facilitateambulatory human movement.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Exercise is a necessary part of a healthy lifestyle. Without properexercise, muscle tissue decreases, the mineral density of bones declineand people tend toward storing more fat weight. This contributes to avariety of health issues including cardiovascular disease, osteoporosisand diabetes. A common aerobic exercise is running. The ground poundingaction of running can cause joint issues in some people. In addition,running outdoors requires a suitable space and environment. Weather andpersonal safety restrict some individuals from performing this activityas often as they would like, as running in bad weather or a badneighborhood can result in more serious problems than heart disease.

Indoor running and walking can be accomplished by use of a treadmill,but again, the pounding action of the foot on the tread may lead tojoint overuse injuries. Other products such as elliptical trainersaddress this problem but restrict the user to a set gait pattern. Anyslight variation between the user's natural gait and the machine'spredetermined gait may cause an imbalance in joint loading, as well asmuscular development of the limbs being used. Given that people havedifferent stride lengths and they vary greatly in height and weight, itis unlikely that a single predefined gait would be ideal for all users.

It should, therefore, be appreciated that there is a need for a fitnessdevice that enables movement in a variety of gait patterns with minimaltransition effort from one pattern to another. The present inventionfulfills this need and others.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a frame that supports a first upper leglink and a second upper leg link, each pivotally coupled to the frame. Afirst lower leg link may be pivotally coupled to the first upper leglink and a second lower leg link may be pivotally coupled to the secondupper leg link, each lower leg link may include a foot support. A firsttransfer system may be provided which may be movably coupled to theframe and include a first transfer member coupled to the first upper leglink and a second transfer member coupled to the second upper leg link.A second transfer system may be provided which is movably coupled to theframe, and may include a pair of third transfer members, coupled to eachof a pair of fourth transfer members, by way of each of a pair oftransfer couplings, each of which may be movably mounted to the frame.The fourth transfer members may be coupled to the first lower leg linkand the second lower leg link, whereby movement of the first lower leglink may cause movement of the second lower leg link irrespective ofmovement of the upper leg links.

In one embodiment of the invention, the first transfer system may becomprised of a first gear and a second gear, whereby rotation of thefirst gear results in rotation in an opposite direction of the secondgear. The first transfer system may also be comprised of a pivot barwith a first end and a second end and pivotally mounted to the frame.The first end may be coupled to the first transfer member and the secondend may be coupled to the second transfer member.

The exercise device may also include a support system, defining a lowestposition of the foot supports. The support system may be comprised of acompression link with a first end coupled to the frame and a second endcoupled to a lower leg link. The compression link may be comprised of ahousing, a rod received by the housing and a bias member capturedbetween the housing and the rod, thereby limiting the amount ofdisplacement of the rod relative to the housing. The support system mayinclude a first compression link coupled to the first lower leg link anda second compression link coupled to the second lower leg link.

The support system may be comprised of one or more belts, each movablycoupled to the frame by at least two pulleys. The belt may include anupper run positioned adjacent to a lower portion of the foot support andadapted for contact with the upper run, thereby the belt may limit thevertical displacement of the foot support. The support system may becomprised of a belt take-up coupled to the frame, the belt take-up maybe biased to provide tension in the belt. The support system may alsoinclude a belt drive, such as a motor or other power device,operationally coupled to the belt to enable continuous rotation of oneor more of the pulleys, thereby allowing continuous movement of the beltin the absence of power input from a user.

For purposes of summarizing the invention and the advantages achievedover the prior art, certain advantages of the invention have beendescribed herein above. Of course, it is to be understood that notnecessarily all such advantages can be achieved in accordance with anyparticular embodiment of the invention. Thus, for example, those skilledin the art will recognize that the invention can be embodied or carriedout in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group ofadvantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving otheradvantages as may be taught or suggested herein.

All of these embodiments are intended to be within the scope of theinvention herein disclosed. These and other embodiments of the presentinvention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art fromthe following description of the preferred embodiments and drawings, theinvention not being limited to any particular embodiment(s) disclosed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way ofexample only, with reference to the following drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of an exercise device incorporating a systemenabling varied gait movements in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an isometric partial detail of a transfer system with aportion of the frame removed for visual clarity, the view shown alongline 2-2 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a linkage system of the exercise deviceshown in FIG. 1 with the frame removed.

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of a detail of an upper leg link pivot ofthe linkage shown in FIG. 3, the detail shown in FIG. 3 along line 4-4.

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of the linkage of FIG. 3 shown from thefront, left.

FIG. 6 is an isometric view of a detail of the upper leg link pivot ofthe linkage shown in FIG. 5, the detail shown in FIG. 5 along line 6-6.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the exercise device of FIG. 1 with dashed linesillustrating different walking and running pedal paths.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the exercise device of FIG. 1 with dashed linesillustrating an inclined step pedal path.

FIG. 9 is an isometric view of an exercise device incorporating a systemenabling varied gait movements, the device including a transfer systemcomprising a pivot bar.

FIG. 10 is a rear isometric view of the device of FIG. 9 with a coverremoved to show a transfer system.

FIG. 11 is a detail of the device of FIG. 10 shown along line 11-11,illustrating a transfer system in more detail.

FIG. 12 is a detail of the device of FIG. 10 shown along line 12-12,illustrating an upper link pivot area in more detail.

FIG. 13 is an isometric view of an exercise device incorporating asystem enabling varied gait movements and including a support systemincluding a compression link.

FIG. 14 is a detail of the device of FIG. 13 shown along line 14-14,illustrating a compression link with the cover partially removed.

FIG. 15 is a side view of the device of FIG. 13 showing different pedalpaths as may be guided by a compression link positioned in differentpositions relative to the frame, and the pedals in a relatively verticalorientation.

FIG. 16 is a detail of the device of FIG. 15 shown along line 16-16,illustrating a compression link with the cover partially removed.

FIG. 17 is a side view of the device of FIG. 15 showing different pedalpaths as may be guided by a compression link positioned in differentpositions relative to the frame, and the pedals in a relativelyhorizontal position.

FIG. 18 is a detail of the device of FIG. 17 shown along line 18-18,illustrating a compression link with a cover partially removed.

FIG. 19 is a side view of an exercise device incorporating a systemenabling varied gait movements and including a support system comprisinga belt.

FIG. 20 is an isometric view of the device of FIG. 19 from a front, sideorientation.

FIG. 21 is a detail of the device of FIG. 20 shown along line 21-21,illustrating front pulleys of a support system.

FIG. 22 is a detail of the device of FIG. 20 shown along line 22-22,illustrating rear pulleys of a support system.

FIG. 23 is a rear isometric view of an exercise device incorporating asystem enabling varied gait movements in accordance with the presentinvention.

FIG. 24 is a detail of the device of FIG. 23 shown along line 24-24,showing a rear view of drive elements of the device.

FIG. 25 is a front view of the drive elements of the device of FIG. 23.

FIG. 26 is a side view of an exercise device incorporating a systemenabling varied gait movements and providing an articulating leg.

FIG. 27 is an isometric view of the device of FIG. 26.

FIG. 28 is a detail of the device of FIG. 27 shown along line 28-28,showing a side isometric view of support system elements of the device.

FIG. 29 is a right front isometric view of the device of FIG. 27.

FIG. 30 is a detail of the device of FIG. 29 shown along line 30-30,showing a side isometric view of a front portion of a support system ofthe device.

FIG. 31 is a detail of the device of FIG. 29 shown along line 31-31,showing a side isometric view of a resistance system of the device.

FIG. 32 is a side view of an exercise device incorporating a systemenabling varied gait movements, the device including a transfer systemcomprising a pivot bar and a support system.

FIG. 33 is an isometric view of the device of FIG. 32 with a bottomcover and a portion of the frame removed.

FIG. 34 is a detail of the device of FIG. 33 shown along line 34-34,showing an isometric view of a transfer system.

FIG. 35 is a detail of the device of FIG. 33 shown along line 35-35,showing an isometric view of an upper link and support system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference to the illustrative drawings, and particularly to FIGS.1-6, there is shown an exercise device in the form of a multifunctionaladaptive training device 38. This embodiment of the invention mayinclude a frame 36 supporting a pair of leg linkages including a firstleg linkage 40 and a second leg linkage 42. The first leg linkage 40 mayinclude a first upper link 44 coupled to a first lower link 46. In alike manner, a second leg linkage 42 may include a second upper link 48coupled to a second lower link 50. A foot support 52 may be positionedon a distal end of each of the first lower link 46 and the second lowerlink 50. A user may position themselves with one foot on each of thefoot supports 52 and perform a variety of different exercises.

The foot supports 52 are linked from one to the other by way of a firsttransfer system 54 and a second transfer system 56. The first transfersystem 54 may include a first transfer member 58, coupled to the firstupper link 44 and a second transfer member 60 coupled to the secondupper link 48. The first transfer system 54 may also include a firsttransfer bar 62 enabling substantially opposing motion of the firsttransfer member 58 relative to the second transfer member 60. Thesubstantially opposing motion may be achieved through a first gear 64mounted adjacent to a second gear 66 and the first transfer member 58being coupled to the first gear 64 and the second transfer member 60being coupled to the second gear 66 by way of the first transfer bar 62.This combination may provide a substantially reciprocating motion of thefirst upper link 44 relative to the second upper link 48.

To complete the linking of the foot supports 52 of the first leg linkage40 to that of the second leg linkage 42, the first lower link 46 may belinked to the second lower link 50. This may be done by coupling a pairof third transfer members 68, one each to the first lower link 46 andone to the second lower link 50. A pair of transfer couplings 70 may besupported on the frame 36 and coupling each of the pair of thirdtransfer members 68 to each of a pair of fourth transfer members 72. Thefourth transfer members 72 are coupled one to the other by way of thesecond transfer system 56, thereby enabling substantially reciprocatingmotion of the fourth transfer members, one to the other. A secondtransfer bar 74 may be used to transmit torque from one of the fourthtransfer members 72 to the other.

As with the first transfer system 54, the second transfer system 56 mayinclude a third gear 76 coupled to the second transfer bar 74 and afourth gear 78, adjacent to the third gear 76. The fourth gear 78 may becoupled to one of the fourth transfer members 72 and the second transferbar 74 coupled to the other fourth transfer member 72, thereby enablingsubstantially reciprocating motion of the fourth transfer members 72,relative to the other. This action could provide substantially oppositemovement of the third transfer members 68 one to the other, which mayprovide substantially opposite movement of the first lower link 46relative to the second lower link 50. With both the first transfersystem 54 and the second transfer system 56 the movement of one footsupport 52 to the other may be controlled. Each foot support 52 may beplaced in an infinite number of positions within its plane of movement.In doing so, the other foot support 52 will be placed in a specificposition in space within its plane of movement. This combination enablesa path of motion of a foot support 52 that is not confined by themachine as it is infinitely variable by the user. The stability to theuser is provided by the linked positioning of each foot support 52,thereby providing a stable platform to support the user.

With reference to FIGS. 2, 3 and 5, a means of offering resistance isprovided. When a person runs or walks on a flat surface with no wind,there is no resistance to motion. The runner's potential energy is thesame at the end of the run as it was at the beginning of the runningworkout. Energy has been expended through the mechanics of the runningor walking gait. The center of mass of the user is lifted and dropped ineach stride. In addition, the mass of the leg segments have beenaccelerated to provide a complex motion that is repeated with everystride. This is work done by the runner where no energy has been stored,but it has been expended by the runner. These aspects of energyexpenditure may also be apparent with the invention disclosed herein.The running gait of the legs may be identical to that of a runner on aflat or graded surface and therefore the energy required by the user tomanipulate and change direction of the legs is provided by the user.This may be exaggerated by the mass of the first leg linkage 40 and thesecond leg linkage 42 that are added to the mass of the runner's legs.The vertical displacement of the center of mass of the user may also beprovided with the present invention.

In some cases it may be desired to add additional resistance to themovement of the first transfer system 54, the second transfer system 56,or both. This may be accomplished by a brake 80 or other resistanceelement to either transfer system (54 & 56). In FIGS. 2, 3 and 5 a brake80 is added to resist the rotation of the first transfer bar 62 of thefirst transfer system 54 and a second brake 80 is provided to resistrotation of the second transfer bar 74 of the second transfer system 56.One or both brakes 80 may be used to add torque to their respectivetransfer system (54 & 56) to increase the workload as if a runner wastraining by running in soft sand. In addition, by adding resistance toone or the other transfer system (54 & 56) the running gait may bemodified for the user. This may be desired if a deficiency is identifiedand specific training is needed to correct that deficiency.

Another use of the brakes 80 is to add support to the foot supports 52during ingress and egress of the user with the machine. By engaging bothbrakes 80, the foot supports 52 may be effectively locked in positionand then slowly released to provide a method of smooth and stableentering and exiting of the exercise device 38. By reducing any rapidmovements during the ingress and egress, the user is much less likely tofeel unstable, thereby possibly reducing the likelihood of feelingunstable.

In that the system as described provides a stable platform for the userby placing one foot support 52 is a specific position in space, asdetermined by the other foot support 52, it may be desirable to alterthis relationship between the foot supports 52. One method ofaccomplishing this is to alter the length of the third transfer members68. As depicted in FIGS. 1, 3 and 5, the third transfer members 68 mayinclude an actuator 82 with a bearing mount 84 on each end thereof. Theactuator 82 enables the distance between the bearing mounts 84 to bechanged, thereby altering the angle between the first upper link 44 andthe first lower link 46 and likewise between the second upper link 48and the second lower link 50. By altering these angles, the position ofthe foot supports 52 is changed relative to the frame 36 and thereforerelative to one another, thereby altering the gait patterns.

Some examples of the variations in gait patterns that may be obtained,without altering the length of the third transfer members 68, are shownin FIGS. 7 and 8. In FIG. 7 the longer path 86 is consistent with adesired foot path of travel for a running gait. For a walking gait, ashorter path 88 is shown. The invention 38 automatically relates theamplitude (vertical height) of the travel of the foot support 52 to thelongitude (stride length) as these also naturally correlate in typicalgait patterns in people. Therefore in many cases the invention 38 maynot need to be altered to have the user transition from one gait patternto another during use. This enables a smooth and fluid transition fromone gait to another. If it is desired to alter the path, the thirdtransfer member 68 may be changed during use without the user stoppingthe machine 38. The arcuate path 90 depicts a pendulum path which may beused as a recovery gait.

In FIG. 8 a more extreme vertical path 92 of movement is shown. Again,this may be provided without altering the length of the third transfermember 68. It shows a foot path that may be consistent with climbingstairs or a steep incline hill such as in hiking. The capability of thedevice 38 enables a great deal of versatility that is expressed only bya few of the infinite number of gait patterns possible by the device 38.

The gate patterns may be controlled to guide the user into a specificpattern by replacing the brakes 80 with drive motors, such as servo orstepper motors. One embodiment of this system is to make one transfersystem a driver and the other transfer system driven. For illustrativepurposes, a system will be described where the first transfer system 54is the driver and the second transfer system 56 is driven. It isunderstood that the status of driver and driven may be reversed and thesystem as described may be substantially the same only reversed withregard to which is sensed and which is driven. With that in mind, usingservo motors to replace each of the brakes 80, provides a means ofdeveloping torque about the first transfer bar 62 and the secondtransfer bar 74. In that servo motors have a shaft location device builtin, there would not be a need for an external encoder or other device tosense the position, direction and speed of the motor shafts, andtherefore the associated first transfer bar 62 and the second transferbar 74. If a stepper motor is used in place of servo motors to replacethe brakes 80, then a sensing device of at least the first transfer bar62 would be used.

In this embodiment, as a user drives a foot support 52 some direction atsome speed, and the first upper link 44 and therefore also the secondupper link 48 are displaced, the first transfer bar 62 will rotate someamount, in some direction, and at some speed. A sensor, such as theencoder in the servo motor, may be used to gather the information aboutthe location, direction of movement and speed of movement of the motorand therefore the first transfer bar 62. This information may be used todetermine the gait pattern, as this information may be specific to aparticular gait pattern, or a specific gait pattern may be pre-selectedby the user. An algorithm may be provided to correlate the location anddirection of movement of the first transfer bar 62 (driver) to a desiredposition of the second transfer bar 74 (driven) for that gait pattern.The motor (formally the brake 80) associated with the second transferbar 74 may be actuated to drive the second transfer bar 74 to theposition as determined by the information of the first transfer bar 62as computed by the algorithm. This process electronically links thefirst transfer system 54 to the second transfer system 56 while stillallowing the user to determine the path and speed of movement of thefoot supports 52, and therefore the feet of the user. By linking thefirst transfer system 54 to the second transfer system 56 a defined pathof motion of the foot supports 52 may be provided. Through an electroniclinking, how they are linked may be infinitely variable. With currentprocessor technology a read and react closed loop system of 500-1000 Hzis possible, providing for a smooth path with little or no “cogging” ofthe movement making this a viable system with technology currentlyavailable.

With reference to FIGS. 9-12, another embodiment of the currentinvention 38′ is shown. In this embodiment the invention 38′ has a firstupper link 44′ a second upper link 48′, a first lower link 46′, a secondlower link 50′ and a third transfer member 68′ connected to the firstlower link 46′ and the second lower link 50′. The transfer coupling 70′transfers load from the third transfer members 68′ to the fourthtransfer members 72′ and a first transfer member 58′ is coupled to asecond transfer member 60′ by way of a first transfer system 54′,comprising a pivoting arm 94, thereby providing substantiallyreciprocating motion of the first transfer member 58′ to the secondtransfer member 60′.

A second transfer system 56′ is provided to accomplish a similarreciprocating motion of the fourth transfer members 72′. In thisembodiment the transfer coupling 70′ is substantially longitudinalproviding a classic 1^(st) class lever as opposed to the previouslydisclosed embodiment where the load and the force may be considered tobe on the same side of the fulcrum (2^(nd) or 3^(rd) class lever). Inthis case the load in the fourth transfer members 72′ may always be intension. As such, a pliable member such as a cord or cable may be usedas opposed to a rigid structural element such as a steel bar. A secondpivot arm 96 may provide the substantially reciprocating motion for thefourth transfer members 72′, that as with the pivoting arm 94, thesecond pivoting arm 96 is a substantially rigid arm that is pivotallymounted to the frame, about a center point along the long axis, the endsfree to move so as one end is lowered, the other end is raised relativeto the frame 36′. This action enables the respective transfer members(72′ to 72′ and 58′ to 60′) to move in a substantially reciprocatingmanner relative to one another. In this embodiment a hydraulic damper 98may be used to offer resistance to movement of one or both transfersystems (54′ and 56′). The damper 98 may be attached to the firsttransfer member 58′ and the second transfer member 60′ at or near thetransfer couplings 70′ or at any other place in the system.

An alternative embodiment of the invention including a support system 99comprised of a compression link 100 is shown in FIGS. 13-18. Thecompression link 100 may be two compression links 100, each with a shaft102, both shafts 102 with a first end coupled to each of the first lowerlink 46, and the second lower link 50. The shaft 102 of each compressionlink 100 may be received by a sleeve 104, which may be coupled to a linkmount 108, which may be mounted to the frame 36. A compression spring106 may be received within the sleeve 104. The spring 106 may act as abias against extension of the shaft 102 out of the sleeve 104. By doingso, the expanded distance of the compression link 100 is limited by thespring and the extension force on the shaft 102. With one end of thecompression link 100 coupled to the frame, by way of the link mount 108,and the other end coupled to the lower links (46 & 50) of the device38″, the lowest position of the foot support 52 is restricted by thecompression force of the spring 106 of the compression link 100. Indoing so, as a user passes through the stance phase of running, wherethe highest normal force is applied to a supporting surface, thegreatest tension will be placed on the spring 106. This may allow thegreatest length of the compression link 100.

As is illustrated in FIG. 15, the small curve 110 is representative ofthe foot support 52 path of travel for a walking gait. It can be seenthat at the bottom position of the foot support 52, a smooth arcuatepath may be provided. As the user begins to shift their weight onto thetop foot support 52, as the foot transitions forward during the “swingphase”, the forward foot will begin to drop as the trailing foot beginsto raise as the users weight is transferred from the foot ending thestance phase (approaching “toe off” to transition to the swing phase) tothe foot ending the swing phase (approaching “heel strike” to transitionto the stance phase). As the user's body weight begins to be removedfrom the stance (bottom) foot, the spring 106 may bias the shaft 102 intoward the sleeve 104, thereby shortening overall length of thecompression link 100. This will pull the lower link 46, and thereforethe foot support 52 on which the user's foot is positioned, toward thelink mount 108, thereby guiding the foot support 52 up in a desired gaitpattern 110.

The gait amplitude may be altered by changing the relative position ofthe link mount 108 on the frame 36. The top arc 112 shown in FIG. 15 isa path of the connection of the compression link 100 to the first lowerlink 46 throughout the stance phase (when supporting the user's bodyweight). The bottom arc 114 is representative of the path of theconnection of the compression link 100 to the first lower link 46throughout the stance phase (when supporting the user's body weight)when the link mount 108 is lowered on the frame 36. This may result in apath of travel represented by the second path 116 of travel of the footsupports 52. This greater amplitude of foot travel may be representativeof a running gait, as compared to a walking gait of the shorter path110. Therefore the desired gait pattern may be altered by changing theposition of the link mount 108.

To further illustrate the function of the compression link 100, thedevice 38″ with compression links 100 and cut away details are shown inFIGS. 15-18. In FIG. 15 the second lower link 50 is shown in a elevatedposition as would be evident with a user with their foot on the footsupports 52 and their right foot at an approximate midpoint along theforward moving 118 swing phase of a walking gait. In this, the rightfoot of the user is likely unloaded as the user's weight is supported onthe other (left) foot on the foot support of the first lower link 46.The detail in the cutaway is shown in FIG. 16 of the compression link100 of this, the unloaded foot support 52 in the swing phase. The spring106 of the compression link 100 is in a relaxed position as the shaft102 is received within the sleeve 104, not placing pressure on thespring 106.

In FIG. 17, the link mount 108 has been moved down to allow the footsupports 52 to achieve greater amplitude in their movement gait. Inaddition, the second lower link 50 and second upper link 48 have movedto position the corresponding foot support 52 in a position to simulatepast heel strike and the beginning of the stance phase of a runninggait, where the foot support 52 path of travel approximates the largeramplitude second path 116. The detail cutaway in FIG. 18 shows thespring 106 in a compressed state as compared to that of FIG. 16. This isdue to the shaft stop 120 contacting one end of the spring 106 as it istrapped inside the sleeve 104. Therefore as the shaft 102 extends outaway from the sleeve 104, the spring 106 is compressed, biasing thecompression link 100 to a more retracted position.

An alternative support system is shown in FIGS. 19-22 in which thesupport system 99′ includes a support belt 122 movably coupled to theframe 36. The belt 122 may be two separate but identical belts 122positioned in a parallel arrangement proximal to the foot supports 52 sothat when a foot support 52 descends to a predetermined height relativeto the frame, a portion of the foot support 52 contacts the belt 122,thereby limiting the bottom most position of the foot support 52. Oneembodiment is shown in which there are two belts 122, each supported bya front base pulley 124 and a rear base pulley 126. It may be desired toprovide elastomeric properties to the support of the foot supports 52,as so suggested by the use of the compression spring 106 in thecompression link 100, as previously shown and described. In thisembodiment, a similar cushioned support may be achieved by providing abelt 122 that includes elastic properties. As such, the belt 122 mayflex or stretch as the foot support contacts an upper run 128 of thebelt 122. As the user provides force to the foot support during thestance phase of the gait, the belt 122 may flex to allow some complianceto the load applied by the weight of the user.

An alternative form of elastomeric support of the foot supports 52, isto use a substantially non-elastic belt 122 as defined by littleelongation of the belt 122 under load. An idler 130 may be provided witha bias member 132 positioned to maintain tension in the belt 122. As isshown in FIGS. 20 and 21, when a foot support 52 makes contact with theupper run 128 of the belt 122, the idler 130 is displaced to accommodatefor the displacement in the upper run 128 of the belt 122 due to thenormal load applied through the foot support 52.

The rear portion of the alternative support system 99′ is shown indetail in FIG. 22. The belts 122 are supported by the rear base pulleys126. If a brake or other resistance to movement of the foot supports 52is required, a shaft drive 134 may be used to restrict the rotation ofthe rear base pulleys 126 and thereby the belts 122, thus requiring workto be done by the user. As an alternative, the shaft drive 134 may alsobe a positive drive, thereby driving the rear base pulleys 126 andtherefore the belts 122. By driving the belts 122, when a foot supportcontacts the upper run 128 of a belt 122, the foot support 52 may beactively driven back as would normally be done when a user's foot movesduring a running or walking gait. In that the foot supports 52 may belinked as previously noted, when one foot support 52 is moving in aposterior direction relative to the user, as a support foot would in atypical walking or running gait, the other foot support is elevated andmoving in an anterior direction. This powered system may enable walkingor running guidance for an impaired individual, thereby physicallytraining the muscles. In addition, since the stride length is determinedby the user, there is some neurological requirement for control by theuser. In neurologically impaired individuals, such as stroke survivors,neurological training may be as important as muscular training. Byadding a harness to support the weight of the user and eliminatefalling, a system as shown and described may be more beneficial to therehabilitation of neurologically impaired individuals than more costlyand complex fully controlled ambulatory training devices.

An alternative control system is shown in FIGS. 23-25. The trainingdevice 38′″ in this embodiment includes a frame 36″, which supports afirst upper link 44″ connected to a first lower link 46″ and a footsupport 52 on the lower end thereof. In a like manner, a second upperlink 48″ may be provided which may be pivotally coupled to the frame 36″and including a second lower link 50″ with a foot support 52 coupled tothe second lower link 50″. A third transfer member 68″ may be coupled tothe first lower link 46″ and another third transfer member 68″ coupledto the second lower link 50″. In this embodiment, the first upper link44″ and the second upper link 48″ may each be mounted to an insidesprocket 136. The third transfer members 68″ may be coupled to atransfer coupling 70″, which may be connected to an outside sprocket 138by way of a shaft 140 journaled to the frame 36″.

A first transfer system 54″ may be used to transfer the movement fromthe first upper link 44″ to the second upper link 48″ by way of thefirst transfer bar 62″, which may connect the inside sprockets 136through the first transfer member 58″ and the second transfer member60″. In this embodiment the first transfer member 58″ and the secondtransfer member 60″ may be in the form of a roller chain, belt or otherpliable transmission member as opposed to a substantially rigid link asshown in previous embodiments. The direction of movement of the firsttransfer member 58″ may be substantially the opposite that of the secondtransfer member 60″ by way of the first gear 64′ coupled to the secondgear 66′ in a radial orientation. The substantially opposite rotation ofthe first gear 64′ relative to the second gear 66′ drives the sprocket141 in an opposite direction to that of the first transfer bar 62″. Thiscombination enables a substantially reciprocating movement of the firstupper link 44″ relative to the second upper link 48″.

In this embodiment of the invention, the first lower link 46″ is incommunication with the second lower link 50″ by way of the thirdtransfer members 68″, as previously noted. The outside sprockets 138drive the fourth transfer members 72″ to the second transfer system 56″,thereby linking the first lower link 46″ to the second lower link 50″.The second transfer system 56″ may include a second transfer bar 74″ tofacilitate the transfer of power to the outside sprockets 138 andthereby to the first lower link 46″ and the second lower link 50″ by wayof the third transfer members 68″.

In this embodiment, substantially reciprocating motion of the firstlower link 46″ to the second lower link 50″ may be achieved by a lowerlink control system 142. With attention to FIG. 25, a drive motor 144 isused to provide torque to the second transfer bar 74″ by way of a drivebelt 146 articulating a drive pulley 148 mounted to the second transferbar 74″. A pair of clutches 150 may be used to regulate the torqueoutput from the second transfer bar 74″, by way of the drive motor 144,to the fourth transfer members 72″, which in turn apply force to thefirst lower link 46″ and the second lower link 50″. An advantage of sucha lower link control system 142 is it may provide a capability to changethe interaction between the first lower link 46″ and the second lowerlink 50″ that may be modified during use, according to the speed ofmovement, direction of movement and position in space of any of the leglinks (44″, 48″, 46″ and 50″). This enables a dynamic system that may bealtered by user gait or speed. One or more sensors may be used todetermine the speed or movement or orientation of a leg link relative toany other leg link and a logic system to read this information andadjust the clutches 150 to alter the torque about the joint of the firstlower link 46″ and the first upper link 44″ as well as the joint of thesecond lower link 50″ and the second upper link 48″. By varying thesetorques, a gait pattern of the user may be mimicked or supported by thedevice 38′″ to enable a smooth and comfortable exercise session by auser.

Another embodiment of the device 38″″ is illustrated in FIGS. 26-31. Aframe 36′″ supports a first upper link 44′″ and a second upper link 48′″about joints 152 and 154 respectively. A first lower link 46′″ may bepivotally coupled to the first upper link 44′″ at joint 156 and thesecond lower link 50′″ may be coupled to the second upper link 48′″ atjoint 158. A pair of foot supports 52 may be located on a distal end ofthe first lower link 46′″ and the second lower link 50′″. This linkagecombination may be similar in function to that as previously disclosedherein. There is a support guide 160 coupled to each of the first lowerlink 46′″ and the second lower link 50′″, possibly near the footsupports 52. The support guides 160 are each received by a guide rail162, each guide rail 162 may be moveably mounted to the frame 36′″ abouta shaft 163. The guide rails 162 may be made to move in a substantiallyreciprocating motion relative to one another by first transfer member58′″ and a second transfer member 60′″. A first transfer system 54′″includes a first transfer bar 62′″ that many connect a pair of pulleyarms 164 on each end of the first transfer bar 62′″. The pulley arms 164may include a pulley 166 adapted to engage each of the first transfermember 58′″ and the second transfer member 60′″. The pulley arms 164 maybe located substantially on an opposite side of the first transfer bar62′″ so that from a side view as one pulley 166 moves substantiallyforward, the other pulley 166 moves substantially backward. This causesdisplacement of the first transfer member 58′″ to be substantiallyopposite to that of the second transfer member 60′″, thereby enabling asubstantially reciprocating action of the guide rails 162 one to theother and with it the support guides 160 and foot supports 52 mountedadjacent to the support guides 160.

Movement of the support guides 160 along the guide rails 162 may becontrolled by a third transfer member 68′″ coupled to a lower portion ofthe support guides 160 and a fourth transfer member 72′″ coupled to anupper portion of the support guides 160. The third transfer member 68′″on each side of the device 38″″ as well as the fourth transfer members72′″ are coupled to a second transfer system 56′″ which includes asecond transfer bar 74′″. In this embodiment the third transfer members68′″ and the fourth transfer members 72′″ may be a pliable structuresuch as a roller chain, a belt or strap. The third transfer members 68′″and the fourth transfer members 72′″ may couple to the second transferbar 74′″ by way of couplings 70″ in the form of sprockets or pulleys.This combination provides a substantially forward movement of onesupport guide 160, and therefore associated foot support 52, will resultin a substantially rearward movement of the other support guide 160 andassociated foot support 52. The combination of the first transfer system54′″ and the second transfer system 56′″ and the associated links enablea substantially reciprocating motion along the guide rails 162 and thegenerally vertical displacement of the guide rails 162 simultaneously,thereby offering a stable platform to perform an infinite number of gaitpattern movements of a user positioned on the foot supports 52.

A resistance system 168 may also be provided to the second transfersystem 56′″ as shown in FIGS. 29-31 or to the first transfer system54′″. The resistance system 168 may include a brake 170, motor or anyother form of resistance to resist the movement of the second transferbar 74′″. A spring centering system 172 may be included in the firsttransfer system 54′″ to include a pair of springs 174 to guide the firsttransfer system 54′″ to a predefined position.

Referring to FIGS. 32-35 a device 38 produced in accordance with analternative embodiment of the invention is shown. Some aspects of thisembodiment are similar to those shown in previous figures are notdesignated with a unique prime value following the numericaldesignation. Similar to those embodiments previously noted a first upperlink 44 is coupled to a first lower link 46 and a second upper link 48is similarly coupled to a second lower link 50. A pair of third transfermembers 68′″ is in this embodiment, shown as rigid links, with a fixedlength. As previously disclosed, these third transfer members 68′″ arecoupled to the first lower link 46 and the second lower link 50, eachwith a second end coupled to a transfer coupling 70. A pair of fourthtransfer members 72 connects each of the two transfer couplings 70 tothe second transfer system 56″″. In this embodiment the second transfersystem 56″″ includes a second transfer bar 74″″ which includes a firstear 176 which is positioned substantially opposite to a second ear 178.This substantially opposite orientation of the first ear 176 relative tothe second ear 178 enables substantially opposite displacement of one ofthe fourth transfer members 72 to the other fourth transfer member 72.

A similar system may be used in the first transfer system 54″″ in whicha first transfer bar 62″″ may be provided with a first bar ear 180positioned substantially opposite to a second bar ear 182. As with thesecond transfer system 56″″, the first transfer bar 62″″ of the firsttransfer system 54″″ provides substantially opposite displacement of thefirst transfer member 58 relative to the second transfer member 60,thereby enabling substantially reciprocating movement of the first upperlink 44 relative to the second upper link 48. To assist and guide theuser, a compression link 100 may be provided to limit the bottommovement of the foot support 52 under the foot of the user during thestance phase of the gait. As previously disclosed, the compression link100 may include a spring or other bias member that provides a cushion tocomply with the user's higher force during the middle of the stancephase of most gait patterns. In addition, the bias in the compressionlink 100 may assist with the recoil of the foot during the toe-off atthe end of the stance phase and beginning of the swing phase of manyrunning and walking gaits. As such the compression link 100 may bedesired to use in this or other embodiments of the invention.

An alternative resistance source has been provided in the form of ahydraulic damper 184. This may be a one-way shock which providesresistance to compression thereby resisting the tendency of the firstupper link 44 and the second upper link 48 to fall under the weight ofthe user. The recoil, or upward movement of the first upper link 44 andthe second upper link 48 may not be restricted if the damper 184 offerslittle or no resistance to extension of the cylinder of the damper 184.Any form of resistance commonly known in the art may be used in anynumber of locations including the first transfer system 54″″, the secondtransfer system 56″″, the fourth transfer members 72 or in this case,the first transfer member 58 and the second transfer member 60 near theattachment with the first upper link 44 and the second upper link 48respectively. A restriction to movement of any part of the system mayresult in restriction to movement of the foot supports 52 in that thefoot supports 52 may be connected through the linkage systems as shownand described.

The foregoing detailed description of the present invention is providedfor purposes of illustration, and it is not intended to be exhaustive orto limit the invention to the particular embodiment shown. Theembodiments may provide different capabilities and benefits, dependingon the configuration used to implement key features of the invention.

1. An exercise device, comprising: a frame; a first upper leg link and asecond upper leg link, each pivotally coupled to the frame; a firstlower leg link directly pivotally coupled to the first upper leg linkand a second lower leg link directly pivotally coupled to the secondupper leg link, each lower leg link including a foot support; a firsttransfer system movably coupled to the frame and including a firsttransfer member coupled to the first upper leg link and a secondtransfer member coupled to the second upper leg link; and a secondtransfer system movably coupled to the frame and including an alphatransfer member pivotally coupled to the first lower leg link and a betatransfer member pivotally coupled to the second lower leg link, whereinthe second transfer system is (i) physically separate and operablyindependent from the upper leg links and the first transfer system, (ii)operable for transferring compressive forces and tensile forces betweenthe lower leg links, and (iii) operable for effecting correlatedmovement of the lower leg links irrespective of movement of the upperleg links.
 2. The exercise device according to claim 1, furthercomprising a support system, defining a lowest position attainable bythe foot supports.
 3. The exercise device according to claim 2, whereinthe support system is comprised of a compression link with a first endcoupled to the frame and a second end coupled to a lower leg link. 4.The exercise device according to claim 3, wherein the compression linkis comprised of a housing, a rod received by the housing and a biasmember captured between the housing and the rod thereby limiting theamount of displacement of the rod relative to the housing.
 5. Theexercise device according to claim 3, wherein the support systemincludes a first compression link coupled to the first lower leg linkand a second compression link coupled to the second lower leg link. 6.The exercise device of claim 1 wherein (A) the alpha transfer member ispivotally connected to the first lower leg link through an alpha linkagesystem that includes (i) an alpha transfer coupling pivotally attachedto the frame and pivotally attached to the alpha transfer memberproximate one end of the alpha transfer member, and (ii) an alphaintermediate transfer member pivotally attached proximate a first end tothe alpha transfer coupling and pivotally attached proximate a secondend to the first lower leg link, and (B) the beta transfer member ispivotally connected to the second lower leg link through a beta linkagesystem that includes (i) a beta transfer coupling pivotally attached tothe frame and pivotally attached to the beta transfer member proximateone end of the beta transfer member, and (ii) a beta intermediatetransfer member pivotally attached proximate a first end to the betatransfer coupling and pivotally attached proximate a second end to thesecond lower leg link.
 7. An exercise device, comprising: a frame; afirst upper leg link and a second upper leg link, each pivotally coupledto the frame; a first lower leg link directly pivotally coupled to thefirst upper leg link and a second lower leg link directly pivotallycoupled to the second upper leg link, each lower leg link including afoot support; a first means for transferring torque from the first upperleg link to the second upper leg link; and a second means fortransferring torque from the first lower leg link to the second lowerleg link including an alpha transfer member pivotally coupled to thefirst lower leg link and a beta transfer member pivotally coupled to thesecond lower leg link, wherein the second means for transferring torqueis (i) physically separate and operably independent from the upper leglinks and the first means for transferring torque, (ii) operable fortransferring compressive forces and tensile forces between the lower leglinks, and (iii) operable for effecting correlated movement of the lowerleg links irrespective of movement of the upper leg links.
 8. Theexercise device according to claim 7, further comprising a means fordefining a lowest position attainable by the foot supports.
 9. Theexercise device according to claim 7, further comprising a supportsystem, defining a lowest position attainable by the foot supports. 10.The exercise device according to claim 9, wherein the support system iscomprised of a compression link with a first end coupled to the frameand a second end coupled to a lower leg link.
 11. The exercise deviceaccording to claim 10, wherein the compression link is comprised of ahousing, a rod received by the housing and a bias member capturedbetween the housing and the rod thereby limiting the amount ofdisplacement of the rod relative to the housing.
 12. The exercise deviceof claim 7 wherein (A) the alpha transfer member is pivotally connectedto the first lower leg link through an alpha linkage system thatincludes (i) an alpha transfer coupling pivotally attached to the frameand pivotally attached to the alpha transfer member proximate one end ofthe alpha transfer member, and (ii) an alpha intermediate transfermember pivotally attached proximate a first end to the alpha transfercoupling and pivotally attached proximate a second end to the firstlower leg link, and (B) the beta transfer member is pivotally connectedto the second lower leg link through a beta linkage system that includes(i) a beta transfer coupling pivotally attached to the frame andpivotally attached to the beta transfer member proximate one end of thebeta transfer member, and (ii) a beta intermediate transfer memberpivotally attached proximate a first end to the beta transfer couplingand pivotally attached proximate a second end to the second lower leglink.